Banwell Bone Caves

The Bone Cave is a large cavern about 40ft in diameter and about 20ft tall. The floor was partially excavated to reveal hundreds of animal bones which were neatly stacked at the sides of the cave where they remain to this day. The animal bones discovered include bison, reindeer, cave bear and wolf. Some specimens have been removed and can be seen in Taunton Museum and these include a complete bearís skull and reindeer antler.

It has been the subject of many theories why so many animal bones should be found in one place. It is now accepted that the bones were washed into the cave in the Ice Age about 80,000 years ago.In the 1950ís a keen local caver, Percy Baker, in conjunction with Axbridge Caving Group, discovered another chamber off the side of the main chamber called the Ruby Chamber because of its ruby coloured walls.Beyond the house is a deep cave called the Stalactite Cave which extends to a depth of 200ft. Once open to visitors, it can now only be accessed by cavers. After passing through two large chambers with many loose boulders the visitor is led to a green lake of pure water.